Composer:
Felix ErskineCast:
Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero, Manu Bennett, Aaron Jakubenko, Marcus Vanco, Poppy Drayton, Brooke Williams, Melise, Vanessa Morgan, John Rhys-Davies (more)Seasons(2) / Episodes(20)
Plots(1)
Based on the 26 volume book series by Terry Brooks and Executive Produced by Jon Favreau, The Shannara Chronicles is the epic series set in a world thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization. Earth is divided into what is known as the Four Lands, whose inhabitants are a mix of races including elves, dwarves, trolls, gnomes and humans. At the centre is the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world. (StudioCanal UK)
(more)Reviews of this series by the user JFL (1)
The Shannara Chronicles (2016)
One of the commonly stated advantages of modern series over films consists in the possibility to better structure the narrative on a longer framework and, in connection with that, to develop the characters and depict them in a much more comprehensive manner than is possible with the limited runtime of a feature film. For this MTV-produced post-apocalyptic fantasy for teenagers, that principle is turned on its head, when the overall dramaturgy and the narrative structure are shaped according to the broadcast or, said more precisely, the placement of advertising blocks. Instead of the concentrated and conceptually escalating narratives of high-quality TV, we have here individual episodes divided into short films separated by advertising blocks, which have to roll out a single twist and end it with a cliff-hanger, all in the space of ten to fifteen minutes. In addition to that, the highlighted large budget for one episode seems rather ridiculous, when it is quite evident that instead of the contemporary blockbusters that the creators want to approximate at least in terms of the promotional element, the series has more in common with the Corman school of trash. The few CGI units soon become hackneyed, when it becomes apparent that it’s the same landscape, only with different camera movement and the money thus squandered is offset by shooting in generic exteriors and two or three interiors (or why nearly ever dialogue scene takes place by the elves’ tree), and that’s not even to mention the general dragging out of the runtime with blathering as opposed to the promised attractions and spectacles.
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